Social workers visit the North County campus for a tour as part of their 10-week orientation and are told the benefits of the placement.

Foster youth can choose to attend the school rather than live in a group home or foster home, and interested students can request to spend a day or two at the academy to check it out.

Officials say the size of the school can be an asset to students who sometimes feel lost at a large comprehensive high school and who may benefit from the individualized attention.

Many academy graduates are able to not only catch up on deficient credits while at the school but prepare for higher education. Out of 29 graduates last year, 14 went on to attend a two-year college, 14 enrolled in four-year colleges or universities and one went into the military, county officials said.

“We have capacity and if I had it my way, I’d have 160 to 180 kids out there,” Roberts said. “We have more kids going to college. We just had our first kid accepted to Berkeley. There are just a lot of positive things happening.

“I have visitors coming from out-of-state that go out there and they are just blown away about what is going on.”

Each student receives a laptop computer when they graduate, and a nonprofit group raises money to provide scholarships. Alumni can return to the academy for up to two years after they receive their diploma, giving them a place to stay during school breaks and summer vacations.

In response to the budget issues, Ward said the county Office of Education has asked county government to waive its $154,000 annual rent payment. There also have been talks about expanding the pool of students who could attend the school to those outside the foster care system, although that would require a change in the facility’s license.

Despite the fiscal challenges, Ward said his agency has no plans to shutter the school.

“This program has so much to offer that we believe the obstacles in front of us regarding some of these budget issues are absolutely achievable,” he said.

Roberts said the academy provides a great program that more foster kids can benefit from.

“At the end of the day, we want a place where foster kids can get over the problems they are dealing with, can get a good education and are prepared for adulthood,” Roberts said. “We’ve got the facility and to think that there are kids out there whose lives can be changed for the better and we’ve got room for them — that’s what is driving us.”